Microsoft betting on two wrongs is just right

Published: Monday, September 9, 2013 at 6:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, September 8, 2013 at 10:44 a.m.

Momma always said if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

That's been my stance on the curious direction of Microsoft as of late. Thus my comments are non-verbal by the way of a blank stare. Still, when news happens — and plenty has happened recently — it's time to stop biting my tongue.

First is the blockbuster deal last week to buy phonemaker Nokia, whose future as a company has about as much optimism as the company named Blockbuster. Nokia was once the world's leader in mobile phone production but they have been little more than a bit player in the smartphone game. Sadly for them, nobody is predicting a mass trade-in of iPhones and Galaxies for “flip phones” and “candy bars.” Nonetheless, Microsoft coughed up more than $7 billion to bring the Finnish company into the fold.

In terms of the sandlot, this is like picking the short and skinny kids to play on your football team.

This comes on the heels of even bigger news when Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced last month he would step down sometime in the next year. Nobody is saying this is the captain going down with the ship, but it sure reeks of it. Bill Gates' successor did not steer the ship in the mobile waters, and is now stuck in the wake. This is the same guy who proclaimed “there's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance.” He also declared, “Google is not a real company. It's a house of cards.”

Obviously Ballmer had to eat crow, and the result was the Windows 8 platform. Many diehard Windows users greeted the move with a blank stare but understood the future of Big M was in mobile, and Windows 8 would be the engine behind the new Surface Tablet and Windows Phone. It's been more than a year, and the report card is not pretty. These may or may not be good products but it seems few people are willing to leave the Apple or Android platforms to try it.

Microsoft has had its heyday, and it rode that wave all the way to shore and beyond. It even tried a few half-hearted stabs at mobile with products you probably don't even remember. So Windows 8 and its associated products came with the desperation that its desktop dynasty would not be infinite. Ballmer's departure is surely a referendum on its lack of success.

The purchase of Nokia might seem like the dawn of a new era, but it comes with confusing curiosities. First is that it comes under the watch of Ballmer. While he was not fired, it's clear his departure is a departure from, well, him. Why let him hitch this cart to his successor? Second is the choice of Nokia as that cart. How many of you are going to be looking for a Nokia when your current cell contract is expired? Get the point? Pundits say this surely is a grab at the company's vast treasure trove of patents, similar to Google's purchase of a struggling, yet patent-rich, Motorola for $12.5 billion in 2011.

The difference in that deal is that Google had the vision and foothold in the marketplace to do something with a downtrodden company. Microsoft has little street cred in the mobile marketplace because it has not been successful. Heck, it doesn't even have steady leadership in the short term. This brings up the most alarming rumor of them all: As part of the purchase, Microsoft will bring in current Nokia chief, Stephen Elop, to take the helm when Ballmer leaves.

Why would a company that is desperate to reinvent itself do it by hitching itself to a company that is struggling even more mightily? Why would it replace a CEO (Ballmer) who failed to recognize the smartphone age with a CEO (Elop) who failed to capitalize on it? We all know the definition of the word stupid.

In the end, a strong Microsoft is good for the marketplace and for consumers. When companies spend billions developing new technology, they have a way of filtering into our lives. That is why we have a vested interest in the success of the company and a reason to criticize its seemingly fatal decisions.

<p>Momma always said if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.</p><p>That's been my stance on the curious direction of Microsoft as of late. Thus my comments are non-verbal by the way of a blank stare. Still, when news happens — and plenty has happened recently — it's time to stop biting my tongue.</p><p>First is the blockbuster deal last week to buy phonemaker Nokia, whose future as a company has about as much optimism as the company named Blockbuster. Nokia was once the world's leader in mobile phone production but they have been little more than a bit player in the smartphone game. Sadly for them, nobody is predicting a mass trade-in of iPhones and Galaxies for “flip phones” and “candy bars.” Nonetheless, Microsoft coughed up more than $7 billion to bring the Finnish company into the fold.</p><p>In terms of the sandlot, this is like picking the short and skinny kids to play on your football team.</p><p>This comes on the heels of even bigger news when Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced last month he would step down sometime in the next year. Nobody is saying this is the captain going down with the ship, but it sure reeks of it. Bill Gates' successor did not steer the ship in the mobile waters, and is now stuck in the wake. This is the same guy who proclaimed “there's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance.” He also declared, “Google is not a real company. It's a house of cards.”</p><p>Obviously Ballmer had to eat crow, and the result was the Windows 8 platform. Many diehard Windows users greeted the move with a blank stare but understood the future of Big M was in mobile, and Windows 8 would be the engine behind the new Surface Tablet and Windows Phone. It's been more than a year, and the report card is not pretty. These may or may not be good products but it seems few people are willing to leave the Apple or Android platforms to try it.</p><p>Microsoft has had its heyday, and it rode that wave all the way to shore and beyond. It even tried a few half-hearted stabs at mobile with products you probably don't even remember. So Windows 8 and its associated products came with the desperation that its desktop dynasty would not be infinite. Ballmer's departure is surely a referendum on its lack of success.</p><p>The purchase of Nokia might seem like the dawn of a new era, but it comes with confusing curiosities. First is that it comes under the watch of Ballmer. While he was not fired, it's clear his departure is a departure from, well, him. Why let him hitch this cart to his successor? Second is the choice of Nokia as that cart. How many of you are going to be looking for a Nokia when your current cell contract is expired? Get the point? Pundits say this surely is a grab at the company's vast treasure trove of patents, similar to Google's purchase of a struggling, yet patent-rich, Motorola for $12.5 billion in 2011.</p><p>The difference in that deal is that Google had the vision and foothold in the marketplace to do something with a downtrodden company. Microsoft has little street cred in the mobile marketplace because it has not been successful. Heck, it doesn't even have steady leadership in the short term. This brings up the most alarming rumor of them all: As part of the purchase, Microsoft will bring in current Nokia chief, Stephen Elop, to take the helm when Ballmer leaves.</p><p>Why would a company that is desperate to reinvent itself do it by hitching itself to a company that is struggling even more mightily? Why would it replace a CEO (Ballmer) who failed to recognize the smartphone age with a CEO (Elop) who failed to capitalize on it? We all know the definition of the word stupid.</p><p>In the end, a strong Microsoft is good for the marketplace and for consumers. When companies spend billions developing new technology, they have a way of filtering into our lives. That is why we have a vested interest in the success of the company and a reason to criticize its seemingly fatal decisions.</p>